26.1.05

A little West Belfast girl is set to return to school this week after recovering from serious injuries sustained in a hit and run incident.

Oonagh will return to school on Tuesday.

The five-year-old spent two weeks in a coma after being hit by a van on October 5 last year. The van failed to stop and no one has ever been charged in connection with the incident.

Oonagh had been playing with a friend before the incident occurred.

The little girl sustained head injuries, broken ribs and a shattered pelvis and spent ten weeks in hospital.

Her father Stephen said that Tuesday will be a great day for all the family.

“We are really glad that she is able to go back to school,” said the father of six.

“She had only been at the school for a month before this happened. Oonagh is back to her normal self and she is brainy, so I think that she will catch up quickly. She is still attending the hospital but is doing well,” he added.

The school Principal said that staff at the school and Oonagh’s classmates can’t wait to see her back at school.

“We are absolutely delighted that Oonagh is coming back and that she is in good health,” said the Principal.

“Oonagh has been away for a long time, but it is like she has always been here as we have talked about her constantly in class. It will be a huge relief to have her back,” she added.